I studied in modern times

Chapter 870 Liao Envoy Enters Beijing
The tenth day of the seventh month of the second year of Yuanyou.

Kaifeng Prefecture, Hua County, and Baimadu.

The ship carrying the Liao delegation slowly approached the shore.

As the ship approached the shore, two Liao nobles holding flags, led dozens of Liao officials, and walked down the gangway under the protection of the Song Dynasty government and military.

Suddenly, drum music started.

Xiao Dechong listened to the music and laughed.

"Is this the poem "Deer Singing"? " He asked the deputy envoy Zhang Lin beside him with a smile.

Zhang Lin nodded: "Back to the festival, it is the music of "Deer Singing"!"

The corners of Xiao Dechong's mouth suddenly curved up.

He recalled that last year, the Song envoy Hu Zongyu came to the Liao Dynasty to congratulate the Liao emperor on his birthday.

He was appointed as the escort envoy to welcome the Song envoys into the country.

At that time, Xiao De Chong was ordered to order the band to play "Tang Di" from the Book of Songs when the Song envoys entered the country.

The righteousness of Tangdi means that even if brothers quarrel within the walls, they can still defend against external insults.

The meaning is to implicitly tell Song Ting - we are brotherly countries, Goryeo is an outsider, you have to help us!

However, the Song envoy Hu Zongyu at that time looked unhappy after hearing the music of Tangdi.

When greeting him politely, he even said a bunch of sarcastic things like "Oh, the Northern Dynasty also knew about the Book of Songs?"

It seems that in his eyes, the Liao Dynasty is just like the Zubu people and the Jurchens, barbarians who are ignorant of etiquette and laws.

Xiao De Chong was furious at that time!

But Song envoys have always been like this. When they were sent to Liao territory, they would always find ways to argue with the Liao people over details concerning orthodoxy and status, and never give in.

That is to say, the Liao Kingdom today focused its energy on Goryeo.

At the same time, the Liao Kingdom also asked the Song court for help. For the sake of the overall situation of the alliance between the two brotherly countries, Xiao De Chong had to endure it.

But, he also swore at that time that he would get back at the right place sooner or later.

At the very least, he had to make the Song envoy Hu Zongyu bow his head before him.

However, now, when he arrived in Song territory and heard the Southern Dynasty welcoming him with the music of the Book of Songs.

Xiao De Chong's inner dissatisfaction suddenly disappeared.

Although the music of "Deer Singing" is just to welcome guests from afar.

But, this is the Book of Songs!
It is the ritual and music that is used only during the internal diplomacy of the various states.

what does this mean?
The Southern Dynasty finally took the Liao Dynasty seriously!
A sense of satisfaction and accomplishment arose in Xiao De Chong's heart.

Make him happy and joyful.

……

Not far from Baima Ferry is Baima Town.

This is a town that grew up relying on shipping.

It is considered to be a relatively large commercial and trading town within the prefecture.

In the past, there were hundreds of merchants doing business here all year round.

Since the rise of Jiaozi trade between Song and Liao, more and more merchants have made a living here.

Today, there may be thousands of merchants making a living here.

These people, their families, employees, related officials, and garrison troops total more than 20,000!

This directly caused the size of Baima Town to double in just one year!
At this moment, the merchants of Baima Town have all flocked out of the town, stretching their necks to look at the ferry in the distance.

Even though the officers and soldiers set up a thick blockade to keep people out of the official road.

But this still couldn't stop the "good merchants" of the Song Dynasty from being loyal to the emperor and patriotic!

Yes!

With the Bian Jing Xin Bao and Bian Jing Yi Bao's indiscriminate bombardment over the past half month.

Nowadays, the Song Dynasty merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture even walk with more confidence than before.

Everyone opens their mouth with: I am a righteous businessman (benevolent businessman)!

why?

Because I hired someone!
According to what was implied in the article in the Bian Jing Yi Bao, the benevolence and righteousness of the righteous merchants should be directly proportional to the number of employees they employ!
The more people one employs, the more "benevolent" he becomes.

Thus, Sun Ci, a royal merchant of the Song Dynasty who opened hundreds of Sunjia Shaozhu shops in the city of Bianjing, became the Hu Baoyi of Bianjing and the timely rain of Kaifeng.

Because, the total number of employees in Sun Ci's various industries exceeded 10,000 (of course, the employees of the foot shop that was affiliated with Sun Jiazhengdian were included, but in fact, the foot shop was a distributor and was not employed by Sun Ci, nor did it receive Sun Ci's wages).

So Sun Ci hung two wine flags directly in front of the door of his own store.

The wine flag on the left has a big word "Ren" written on it, and the wine flag on the right has big words "Yi" written on it.

The banner of benevolent and righteous business was clearly raised.

In fact, such high-profile wealthy merchants would inevitably attract the iron fist of the government, covetousness, and even biting and division.

however……

The Kaifeng Prefecture, the Street Office, and the Shop and House Affairs Office were like blind and could not see anything at all.

It is said that Cai Jing, the former acting governor of Kaifeng who had been dismissed and was awaiting punishment at home, also invited Sun Ci to a family dinner at his home, during which he praised him a lot.

So, the merchants in the capital city understood it instantly.

Those who employed a large number of workers followed Sun Ci's example and hung up the sign of "benevolence and righteousness".

If the number of employees is relatively small, you can hang up the word "Ren" or "Yi" in your name.

For a time, all the merchants in Bianliang were kind and righteous, and each of them was a Confucian businessman.

Every time he opens his mouth, he starts to talk about Confucius and other such things.

Many Taoist scholars give me a headache when I see them.

But, whether it is public opinion or public opinion among scholars and officials.

They all ignored the noise of these old scholars.

The articles they wrote with great effort were submitted to the Bian Jing Yi Bao, but they were completely ignored.

Maybe the next day, the Bian Jing Yi Bao directly published an article "advising" them to study hard, read good books, and carefully understand the profound meaning of the saints' words, not to believe everything they hear, and not to make a fuss out of nothing.

They were slapped in the face.

Baima Town is only a hundred miles away from Bianjing.

The Bian Jing Xin Bao and Bian Jing Yi Bao published yesterday can be delivered to Baima Town today.

Therefore, the merchants in Baima Town naturally followed the merchants in Bianjing City and started to become more high-profile.

At this moment, they were crowded on both sides of the official road, looking forward to the Liao delegation who were disembarking.

"I'm afraid the Northern envoy is here to negotiate Jiaozi with the government..." Many people were talking about it.

"That does not?"

"I heard that the Northern Dynasty has brought hundreds of thousands of taels of silver this time, and they are asking the government to print millions more coins for them!"

"really?"

“It really can’t be truer!”

"My brother's wife's brother-in-law works in Kaifeng Prefecture. He told me personally..."

"Oh my, I made money again!"

"No!" "It's time to increase benevolence and righteousness again!"

As the business expands, you naturally need to hire people. The more people you hire, the more benevolence and righteousness you will have.

Suddenly, many people felt that the soul of benevolence and righteousness in their bodies was burning.

What a bunch of bigwigs in the court!
If you had hired more workers earlier, you could have become a kind-hearted person.

Then we will definitely expand our business vigorously and hire as many workers as possible!

……

Amid the chattering of the merchants, Xing Shu rode on his horse, surrounded by a team of imperial guards, and arrived at the official road outside Baima Town, ready to welcome the Liao envoy.

Next to him was a carriage with Yelu Ju and Yelu Yongchang sitting in it.

"Uncle He... that's Xiao Dechong..." Yelu Ju lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the Liao envoys who appeared on the road surrounded by the Song army. He pointed at the tall Liao nobleman at the front of the crowd and said, "He is the direct descendant of the fourth uncle's family. He has always been arrogant..."

Xing Shu nodded, as the minister in charge of foreign relations of the Song Dynasty.

Xing Shu naturally made great contributions to the Liao Dynasty's politics and its origins.

What's more, he could also learn and inquire from Yelu Ju, Yelu Yongchang and others.

Therefore, he knew that one should not assume that the descendants of the Liao Dynasty, all of whom had the Han surname Xiao, were of the same origin.

But if you study it carefully, you will find that in addition to the Han surname Xiao, the descendants of the Liao Dynasty also have Khitan surnames.

However, the Khitan surnames of these "Xiao" relatives may be completely different.

Generally speaking, the family of the King's uncle mainly comes from five different clans, which are what the Liao people call the Five Houses of the King's Uncle.

A more orthodox name should be: The Fifth Room of the Second Prince's Account.

The two uncles of the state were the two clans of the Shenmi clan, Bali and Yishiyi, who specialized in marrying with tribal leaders before the establishment of the Khitan state, during the era of tribal alliances.

however……

In fact, the real people of the Shenmi clan, Bali and Yishiyi, had already been killed.

In the early days of the Liao Dynasty, the chaotic politics caused the imperial lineage to shift several times.

The king's uncle, who was a relative by marriage, killed even more people.

Therefore, the so-called second uncle's five rooms have already changed blood countless times.

The so-called fourth room of the emperor's uncle, where Xiao De Chong belonged, was the Yi Room and Shao Weng Room, which only appeared during the reign of Empress Dowager Chengtian.

This branch of the family is descended from the Xiao Siwen family, the father’s clan of Empress Dowager Chengtian—it is the lineage of Xiao Siwen’s youngest son.

The two branches of the Bali clan, to which Xiao Sitan (deposed Queen Xiao Guanyin) belongs, are completely different from the descendants of the Liao Dynasty today - they are all descendants of the Shulü family.

Of course, no one knows whether it is the real Shulü or the fake Shulü.

Xing Shu looked at the middle-aged man riding on a horse and wearing the clothes of a Liao noble from afar, and his eyes narrowed slowly: "Arrogant?"

Be proud if you can!

When Yelu Ju first entered the court, wasn't he also quite arrogant?
"Is there any person from our dynasty that he likes?" Xing Shu turned his head and asked.

Yelu Ju thought for a moment and replied, "As far as I know, this person doesn't like poetry very much, but he has liked listening to people telling stories about Su Qin and Zhang Yi since he was a child..."

"Su Qin and Zhang Yi?" Xing Shu grinned, "I like them too!"

He was originally a diplomat, and became even more fond of it after being appointed by the government to be in charge of Song Dynasty's foreign diplomacy.

"Wait for me to get close to him!"

It’s good to like Su Qin and Zhang Yi.

Because Su Qin and Zhang Yi never cared who they served.

They only care about who will reuse them and provide them with a stage to display their talents.

Did Xiao De Chong get his stage in the Liao Kingdom?

Xing Shu knew, at least not yet.

Otherwise he wouldn't be so unknown.

Otherwise, he should be sitting where Yelu Ju and Yelu Yongchang were.

"Next to Xiao Dechong is Zhang Lin... He is from Shenzhou. He was ambitious since he was young. He studied hard and finally passed the imperial examination. He is loved by my lord..." Yelu Yongchang poked his head out of the carriage and introduced him to Xing Shu: "This man is known for his integrity and is fond of poetry and prose. He is a famous poet in the Liao Dynasty."

Xing Shu listened and laughed even more happily.

Good poetry and articles?
Then he has come to the right place!

As they were talking, the Liao envoy team on the official road in the distance was getting closer and closer.

Yelu Ju and Yelu Yongchang also lowered the curtains.

Xing Shu dismounted, smiled and walked forward to greet the Liao envoys. He bowed slightly to the Liao envoys and said, "In compliance with the order of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, I, the Imperial Academy Scholar of the Great Song Dynasty, am here to greet the envoys from the Northern Kingdom!"

Naturally, Xiao Dechong had seen Xing Shu on the official road early on. Xing Shu was wearing the purple official uniform of the Song Dynasty and a wide-legged hat. He was extremely conspicuous and it was hard not to notice him!

So, when he saw Xing Shu bowing, he also stopped, raised the imperial flag representing the Liao emperor, and bowed slightly: "In compliance with the order of the Liao emperor, Xiao De Chong, the governor of the Liao Chongyi Army..."

Walking side by side with him, just a little behind, Zhang Lin in a scarlet robe also bowed and greeted: "Zhang Lin, the doctor of the Liao Dynasty, the attendant of the Ganwen Pavilion, and the junior minister of the Ministry of Rites..."

"I have come to congratulate the Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty on her birthday, and to reiterate the friendship between our two countries!"

Xing Shu listened and immediately bowed again. Then he straightened his back, faced the direction of the imperial city, solemnly took out an imperial edict, and began to read it in a rhythmic manner.

"You have been diligent in your work for a long time, and have traveled far away to face the wind and dust. I appreciate your hard work and your words and deeds, and I am deeply moved. I will give you a precious medicine to help you achieve harmony!"

This was a letter of consolation written by the Academy of Scholars for reading to the envoys from the Liao Kingdom.

This is the agreement of the Treaty of Chanyuan - the two countries would send envoys to each other regularly to improve relations, and when each other's envoys entered the country, they would naturally issue imperial edicts to comfort and encourage each other.

This was the case when Song envoys entered Liao, and also when Liao envoys entered Song.

In the past, this procedure was read out when Liao envoys entered the Song Dynasty, so it was called "Tea and Horse Edict".

Generally, tea was given to Liao envoys for them to drink, quench their thirst and relieve fatigue.

They also provided the Liao people with fodder so that the livestock of the Liao delegation could replenish their energy.

But starting last year, according to the new agreement between Song and Liao.

The location for issuing imperial decrees and bestowing gifts was changed from the border to the capital (where the emperor resided).

This is to enhance the brotherly alliance between the two countries.

At the same time, it was also to express that the monarchs of the two countries attached great importance to the relationship between the two countries - an imperial edict was issued as soon as the delegation entered the country, which seemed friendly, but in fact, when the delegation entered the country, a large number of troops would come to protect it.

Now, arriving near the capital city (where the emperor was hiding) and then issuing an imperial edict meant that for a long period of time before that, the diplomatic envoys from both sides would have a relatively relaxed and free time to move around.

Although, they still had to follow the prescribed route under the supervision of local officials.

But at least, you can observe the local customs, geographical features, and transportation rivers of the areas you pass through up close.

Instead of being like prisoners, they were surrounded by a large number of soldiers and horses along the way, who even wanted to block out the light to the delegation.

This was a sign of the Song Dynasty's growing confidence - in the past, the Liao people didn't really care how the Song court delegation observed local customs, investigated geographical features, and transportation rivers within their territory.

Otherwise, the Song Dynasty would not have had so many ministers who were sent to the Liao Kingdom and wrote various notes about the Liao Kingdom and even drew maps after returning home.

It was the Song Dynasty that had always been on high alert against the diplomatic missions.

After all, there has never been a shortage of patients with advanced Liao phobia in the Song Dynasty, from the palace to the court.

I don't know how many people would tremble in fear at the slightest threat from the Liao people.

They didn't even need the Liao people's intimidation before they lost their composure - for example, they caused countless disasters and made millions of people in dozens of military states wail in the floods. The reason why the Yellow River returned to its original course twice was because the Song Dynasty was eager for the Yellow River to return to its original course and block Schrodinger's Liao cavalry that might march straight in from Youyan.

For this reason, Lang was as determined as iron, and even if he got hurt, there were still countless people obsessed with this plan.

(End of this chapter)